Underground mining machine operators, all other

All underground mining machine operators not listed separately.

AI Resistance Index 71 of 99

More resilient than most: more resilient than 71% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by -1.0% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on physical dexterity.

AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.

Median pay (2025): $70,130
Job growth to 2035: -1.0%
Openings a year: 300
People doing it (2025): 3,200
Usual route in: No formal credential, then moderate on-the-job training

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What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as the industry increasingly prefers surface mining over underground mining.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Extraction workers, all otherHuman edge, steady, Index 89, +3.4%
Construction laborersHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +7.3%
Cement masons and concrete finishersHuman edge, steady, Index 78, +1.6%
Earth drillers, except oil and gasHuman edge, growing, Index 74, +3.6%

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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.